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2 - The Importance of Protocol in Networks
- Edited by Jean Paul Wijers
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- Book:
- Managing Authentic Relationships
- Published by:
- Amsterdam University Press
- Published online:
- 24 November 2020
- Print publication:
- 04 March 2019, pp 65-71
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- Chapter
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Summary
This chapter will explain the value of protocol in building network and relationships. This has to do with the symbolic value of protocol and its value in managing time.
The original word for protocol is protokollan which means glue, the glue that kept the sheets of paper in medieval books together. So protokollan was connecting all the different parts into a whole, the same as trust does between people as described in Chapter 1.12. Protocol is in other words a major vehicle to increase trust in relationships.
Nowadays, protocol is the term for the rules of diplomatic and social discourse between heads of state, heads of government, and authorities as laid out in the Treaties of Vienna (1814–15 and 1961–63). Protocol focuses on respect and the creation of a good and comfortable diplomatic climate as well as the minimization of conflict and disagreement. Respect and an acknowledgement of status and hierarchy play an important role.
Protocol is often confused with etiquette. Etiquette can be defined as the rules of politeness between people — social manners. Etiquette is different in every culture or subculture and changes as society changes. Examples of etiquette are opening doors for people, proper ways of greeting, pulling a chair out for a woman and so on, while protocol tends to focus much more on the status of a person or an organization rather than societal status.
This specific focus on status has to do with precedence. Precedence can generally be described as “the rules concerning priority, arrangement, or the creation of a concrete hierarchy of functionaries in public positions according to public interest.” The right of priority is based on the position that the functionaries occupy, whether in the judiciary, the military, or the civil service. The hierarchy of all public positions and official titles in a country is codified in an official order of precedence. Orders of precedence are installed and maintained by national governments and international organizations. Generally, the higher one's political mandate or the greater one's managerial responsibility, the higher one's position in the order of precedence.
1 - The Importance of Networks and Relationships
- Edited by Jean Paul Wijers
-
- Book:
- Managing Authentic Relationships
- Published by:
- Amsterdam University Press
- Published online:
- 24 November 2020
- Print publication:
- 04 March 2019, pp 24-64
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
How important to reaching your goals is having a good network in our world today? When this question is asked to directors and other people in leading positions, most of them answer that high-quality relationships and the ability to maintain them are a key factor to their success. Relationships within your network can support you to reach your goals and be a sounding board for your innovative ideas. They can provide inside information, point out the blind spots in your policy, give recommendations, and support you in difficult times. The merits of your cause and strategy are important but access and a strong network are key, especially in these disruptive times of change in which you can't rely on sole planning and control anymore. Who would have thought that many renowned banks would close most of their local branches? That the whole taxi world would be changed by Uber, that an enormous stream of refugees would have spread through Europe in 2016, and so on? In order to face these kinds of context-changing challenges, organizations need others and they need you.
Networks are a means of horizontal cooperation in order to create shared value while the different partners continue to have a high amount of independence. Via email, LinkedIn, Twitter we connect with each other, share information, and reach out for support. At networking events and face-to-face meetings we work on strengthening and broadening our connections. By investing in these relationships, we are building connectivity, friendship, trust, and loyalty, necessary ingredients to sustain our networks.
It may be some time before the benefits of authentic relationship management become apparent. This is why, despite its high potential for long-term advantage to an organization, it often has to be done in the slipstream of other core activities. But proper relationship management is an art of its own that needs attention and professionalization to bear fruit. This chapter will show how this has been the case in the past and also how important personal relationships are in our complex and digitalized era. Proper relationship management will be one of the key assets that make the difference in a world that's changing faster than ever and in which relationships gradually have a tendency to become more flexible and distant. It is right now that a solid base of meaningful relationships is needed to make the organization more effective and resilient.
3 - Developing a Networking Vision
- Edited by Jean Paul Wijers
-
- Book:
- Managing Authentic Relationships
- Published by:
- Amsterdam University Press
- Published online:
- 24 November 2020
- Print publication:
- 04 March 2019, pp 77-83
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- Chapter
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Summary
Connecting to people and creating meaning are important parts of leadership. People want to belong to something bigger than themselves. They want to build cathedrals, or at least they want to feel connected to an organization that is building one. How inspiring are spreadsheets and short-term roadmaps to you? Most likely they do not make your heart pound faster.
To attract the right network partners, it is important to develop and communicate a clear and appealing vision. Your vision statement is your inspiration, the framework for all your strategic planning. When creating the initial vision statement, you are essentially articulating your dreams for the future. It may apply to the entire company or to a single division of the company such as the department(s) responsible for relationship management which is the focus of this chapter. The vision statement answers the question, “Where do we want to go?”
The vision has an external orientation and relates the present to a goal in the future. An appealing long-term vision with a vivid and concrete description of an envisioned future that lies beyond the narrow focus of short-term results activates employees and stakeholders. It is an aspiration that guides a set of choices about how to best invest time and resources to achieve this vision.
A strong vision speaks to the heart, hands, and head.
Heart: this relates to the “why.” The vision is inspiring and aims towards a goal that stretches the imagination but still feels possible to achieve.
Hands: this relates to the “how.” The vision is applicable and describes the necessary competences and measurements to implement the vision.
Head: this relates to the “what.” The vision consists of clear language without metaphors (they could be misinterpreted) and is easy to communicate.
Such a vision provides the organization with a framework that is both stable and malleable. The vision is not like a text written in stone — the vision of an organization is the collective sum of the visions of the stakeholders which allows it to create shared value. A vision in society 4.0 is dynamic and adjustable to changing circumstances, open for feedback from stakeholders, and enables the organization to respond adaptively to the changes in its surroundings. It serves as a benchmark to align the organizational strategy and alliances as well as the internal structure and attitude towards the fulfilment of its goals.